DAYTON, Ohio -- Dont get discouraged, coach Cuonzo Martin told his Volunteers during those long NCAA tournament timeouts. Instead, hang in there and figure a way to pull it out. They went about it a most improbable way. With forward Jarnell Stokes using his 280 pounds to dominate inside and a highly regarded defence finally locking in, Tennessee pulled off the first amazing comeback of the NCAA tournament. Stokes opened overtime with a three-point play that put Tennessee ahead to stay, and the Volunteers defence shut down Iowa in overtime for a 78-65 victory on Wednesday night, finishing off the First Four with an exclamation point. "I told our guys weve been through everything this season, keep your composure down the stretch," said Martin, who got his first NCAA tournament win in his third season at Tennessee. "Find ways to win the ball game." The Vols (22-12) head to Raleigh, N.C., where theyll play sixth-seeded Massachusetts on Friday in the Midwest Regional. They left Dayton with a lot of momentum -- six wins in their last seven games. "We did a tremendous job toward the end of fighting back," said Jordan McRae, who had 20 points. "We did a great job on our defence. For us to hold them like we did was a great job." Tennessee didnt lead until Antonio Bartons 3-pointer put the Vols up 59-57 with 3:05 left regulation. There were five lead changes before McRae missed a jumper missed at the buzzer, leaving it tied at 64. No surprise that Barton made the big shot. The senior transfer is the only Volunteer with any significant NCAA tournament experience, having appeared in three of them with Memphis. Stokes three-point play in overtime was the key moment in his 18-point, 13-rebound performance, putting the Volunteers ahead to stay. It was his 20th double-double this season, the most by a Volunteer since Bernard King had 22 of them in 1976-77. Tennessees highly regarded defence took it from there, holding Iowa (21-13) to one free throw the rest of the way. The Hawkeyes missed all eight of their shots from the field in overtime. "You go through anything so often -- being in those games, being in those situations -- were a much better team the last eight games," Martin said. "Guys stepped up and made plays." It was a tough ending to a long and stressful day for Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. He started the day in Iowa with his teenage son, Patrick, who had surgery to remove a thyroid tumour. His assistant coaches led the Hawkeyes through a meeting and their final practice, and McCaffery was back by game time. Martin and the Volunteers hugged him after the game and wished him well. "Their players hugged me and told me they were thinking of me," McCaffery said. "I was really impressed with their guys and the program Cuonzo has built there." Adam Woodbury had 16 points for Iowa, which got a subpar performance from its leading scorer. Roy Devyn Marble was only 3 of 15 from the field for seven points, matching his season low. "I dont think we ran out of gas," Woodbury said. "We made some key mistakes down the stretch and that hurt us." The ending will sting the Hawkeyes for a long time. They were struggling as they headed into their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, losing six of their previous seven games. Defence was the biggest problem, often letting them down in the second half. They opened the game in promising fashion, switching from man-to-man to zone to half-court traps. It worked. They got off to a 16-4 lead and were still ahead 29-26 at halftime. They kept swatting away the Volunteers runs until the last few minutes of regulation. Marbles basket tied it at 64, and he was guarding McCrae when he missed his fade-away shot at the buzzer sending it to overtime. Tennessee got an at-large bid by closing the season with a defensive flourish. The Volunteers won five straight before losing to No. 1 Florida 56-49 in the Southeastern Conference tournament. They gave up 61.1 points per game, second only to Florida in the SEC, and allowed an average of only 47.4 points in the last four games. In overtime, that defence decided it. Chris Kunitz Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign. Braydon Coburn Jersey . Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back. http://www.cheaplightningjerseys.com/?ta...ej-sustr-jersey. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) - Simply put, Lundqvist was brilliant. Yanni Gourde Jersey .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Adidas Ryan Callahan Jersey . Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night.It would seem that behind the ubiquitous smile and charming personality of James Reimer is a competitive drive that tends to get overlooked. And so while Reimer was "a little surprised" to learn of the trade which sent Jonathan Bernier to Toronto, the 25-year-old had no intention of backing down and surrendering the crease. "I dont plan on giving up the net," Reimer told TSN.ca exclusively from his offseason home in B.C. "I dont plan on giving up that starters spot right now, not to be a jerk about it obviously." Coming off his first full season as the Leafs starter, an impressive year in which he placed seventh overall in save percentage, Reimer was not expecting any kind of trade. Yes, hed heard the rumours, but was there definite surprise when word of the deal, which sent Matt Frattin and Ben Scrivens to the Kings along with a second round pick, came his way? There was some natural frustration followed by a period of reflection, an evaluation of why the team might have made such a move and where he might improve upon moving forward. "Obviously you had emotions when you first heard it," he explained of his initial reaction to the deal which also saw the Leafs absorb $500,000 in salary, "but at the same time when you take a step back and after a while you realize that its going to push you, its going to make you a better person and a better goalie and if that happens well then its great for me, its going to be great for Bernier and its going to be, most importantly, great for the Leafs." Despite setting a Leafs record for the highest individual save percentage in a season in 2013 (.924), doubts continue to linger as to Reimers ability to be the guy in the Toronto crease over the long haul. At the trade deadline in April, Leafs general manager Dave Nonis was frank in his chase for Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, even offering the now-retired Finn additional years to remain with the club. Some of the questions would to seem to lie in the limited body of work, especially as it pertains to an 82-game campaign. Reimer starred as a rookie for 37 games two years back, spent his sophomore damaged from injury before standing tall again this past season. "Im sure they have a few reasons why they traded for Bernier," he said, concurring with the absence of a full season to his name. "Im sure if you play consistently over a full season and hopefully into playoffs then I think that would help erase maybe some of the doubts people have." As for answering the lingering questions, Reimer looked to keep a steady approach. "Just keep going, keep plugging away," he declared of his mindset. "You can always gain experience and you can always get better and in some way that really hasnt changed. Bringing in Bernier, obviously were both after the same thing here [and thats] trying to obtain that starting job I guess or in my instance trying to obviously keep it. You keep going. I think if you have a couple seasons like the first one I had and this third one, my third season, I think you start to answer those questions. "Im sure people have questions and the doubters and naysayers have things that maybe they think I need to work on, but I think you just keep playing and try and play well for a long period of time and I think then eventually yyou get that notoriety or whatever it is that you want to call it.dddddddddddd" Nonis made clear in the hours after the trade that "Nothing is being guaranteed to anybody", inferring that Reimer, despite thriving as the starter last season, would be in immediate competition for the position with Bernier, who has just 62 games of NHL experience, having backed up Jonathan Quick the past three seasons. The Leafs GM did offer confidence to Reimer during a conversation between the two earlier this week, hinting that if that werent the case, then in all likelihood Reimer would be playing elsewhere. "He said that they had faith in me and things could have gone differently if they didnt," Reimer recalled of his chat with Nonis. "They said they liked what Ive done so far, but they just thought that this might help me just to get to that next level." Nonis and the Leafs brass insist that competition from Bernier will only spur something greater from Reimer. They believe both goaltenders have the ability to start, gambling that the 24-year-old Bernier will thrive with further opportunity in Toronto. Selected 88 picks after the Montreal native in the 2006 draft, Reimer messaged Bernier on the day of the trade, offering him a welcome to the team, "looking forward to the battle and just told him that if you need anything in town or getting settled in then you can give me a call". The two had met briefly at the 2011 World Championship in Slovakia, Bernier arriving late to the proceedings, however, making for a limited introduction. Some in Reimers situation might have been sour toward the new teammate, one so plainly after his job, but not Reimer. "You can see how guys would be like that," he said. "But when it boils down it were teammates and teammates first. Not to get all cliché and everything. You want to be the best teammates and well both want the same thing as far as winning and giving the boys a chance. And so sure we both want the most amount of games that we can get because nobody likes to sit on the bench obviously – you want to be the one helping your team – but when it all boils down were teammates and were putting on the same jersey so obviously thats the most important thing." While his mental toughness might be questioned, Reimer has hurdled over adversity in the past. There was his return to form and the starting job following concussion/neck-related issues of his second season, not to mention insistent Roberto Luongo speculation. And then there was his follow-up to the Kiprusoff brouhaha, Reimer posting a .930 save percentage in April after the deadline had passed. "It definitely motivates you," he conceded of the trade. "It maybe gives you an extra shot of adrenaline. You realize coming in that youve got to be at your best and thats exciting hockey. Not to always relate it to playoffs, but thats exciting hockey because thats when it means the most. Kind of the same thing here. Every day youre going to have to be at your best. Thats what I try and pride myself in doing is motivating myself and being the best that I can, but this is definitely there to push you. "At the same time Im sure Berniers coming in wanting nothing but that starting job. And so thats the competition. Its going to push us." ' ' '